Stayed at the Beach Hotel for 2 nights at the beginning of may as part of a 3 week African adventure to celebrate our 35th wedding anniversary. Our room wasn't ready when we arrived about 12 noon but they offered us coffee in the restaurant whilst they got it ready for us asap. They took the bags to the room for us but forgot to tell us it was ready till we asked an hour and a half later. Walking down the corridor to our room was a nasty experience - dirty carpets and dirty artexed walls. Walking down Nelson Mandela's cell block corridor on Robben Island 2 days previously had honestly been more pleasant.The experience of entering the room was even worse - very tired looking and stank of, yes, urine. The dinner we purchased in the public restaurant was actually very good, and the staff very pleasant. However, all the hot food in the breakfast buffet restaurant was cold and the staff fingered the business ends of the cutlery and the drinking rims of cups and glasses when laying tables. We were only at the Beach Hotel as we couldn't get into our choice - The Protea Edward, because the tourism Indaba was on, even though we booked many months previously. Although the location on the beach was good, we wouldn't recommend the ac tual part of Durban - although we had no specific bad experiences, it felt uncomfortable and quite threatening

After seeing the dingy exterior, I was pleasantly surprised with the appearance of the lobby. After being required to leave a deposit for a TV remote and a hair dryer, I was again pleasantly surprised by the size and upkeep of my room (6th floor, ocean view). Also, there was a good and tasty spread for breakfast. The only downfalls I found with the hotel (for the price) were 1) Bathrooms have windows to the hallway, so you get some interesting noises on both sides of the walls; 2) The location of the hotel is directly on the beach, but we were advised to not walk in the vicinity of the hotle (either alone or together) after sunset.

I stayed at the Beach Hotel for two nights in June 2006. I'd made my decision based on the positive reviews the hotel has gotten on here, but I thought it was horrid. The carpet was stained, the door lock flimsy, and the bathroom dirty. They had problems with the telephone system, and I couldn't make any outgoing calls the whole time I was there. The food at breakfast was ok, but the service was terrible. A swarm of waitresses circled around me, constantly asking if I was finished with my bowl while I still had cereal in it and a spoon in my hand. The area is also quite rough. Durban in general is a dangerous place, but as a woman travelling alone I didn't feel safe walking on the street, even in broad daylight. I've travelled in Africa quite a bit, so I wasn't expecting it to be Disneyland, but I was clearly a mark as soon as I came out of the hotel doors. A crew of young pickpocketers slept on the sidewalk in front of the hotel. I'd avoid this area and stay elsewhere. The Hilton is much nicer and safer, though more expensive.